While observing stay-at-home orders, like billions of other people around the world with nowhere to go, I certainly find myself sitting and talking more than ever. And, talking about more substantive matters regarding issues affecting our school, the local community and countries the world over. There are serious issues facing us these days and I think the reality is that the immediate existential threats of pandemics, population growth and the negative impacts of climate change on our planet, have forced these conversations – and many other important issues – into mainstream media, Zoom calls, our collective consciousness and found a seat around the dinner table.

Judging by my own relatives, it appears that as you get older it is harder to follow the language of younger people. And, not just because of hearing loss. Kids invent their own words, or they borrow the phrases they hear from friends or in favourite songs or films. I guess we did too in our younger days. But, to be honest, as of late, I was finding it hard to understand conversations in my own house, let alone at the School.

I thought it would be a good distraction if I provided a list of some of the terms that are used these days by the younger generation. (Instead of focussing on the new adult language of the pandemic with words and expressions such as pivot, flatten the curve, N95, emergency brakes and assorted others.)

This short guide will enable you to better understand your kids and their friends. Warning: Do not use these terms yourself. Timing, inflection and emphasis are critical and age makes it very “uncool” to insert these into conversation.

Seriously, have you ever wanted spring more?!

Longer, warmer days. The heat of the sun. You don’t even need to move; just being in the presence of the sights, sounds and smells of the most promising of the four seasons is enough.

Spring is change. The dormancy of winter foliage and fauna transitioning into life, growth and hope. Surely, we all prefer green rather than brown. Warmth over cold. Outside rather than inside. Bright colours and light over the dullness of monochrome and darkness.

Even the word “spring” brings to mind a jump, a bounce, a trampoline, a catapult. To “spring into action!” Leaving a present state and propelling into a future state. And, boy, do we want to leave the present state of affairs impacting our planet and community!

The Gutenberg printing press is widely recognized as one of the greatest inventions of humankind. In short, the printing press enabled humans to share large amounts of information with a large amount of people. For adults reading this blog post, you will know that print materials were the primary source of information growing up and for centuries before you.

Not today.

Approximately 18 months ago, I asked the entire Senior School student body how many people had read the newspaper that morning. Not a single hand was raised. “Ugh,” I thought to myself at the time. Fifty years ago, at least 50 hands would have been raised. After all, newspapers were delivered to dorm rooms before the sun rose.